Anthropology is the comparative study of peoples and cultures past and present. The discipline has four major subfields: archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and sociocultural anthropology. Topical and geographic strengths of the department include cultural evolution, cultural politics, environmental anthropology, European archaeology, feminist anthropology, medical anthropology, paleoanthropology, science and technology studies, Asian studies, and Latin American studies. 

Our faculty work within and across the discipline’s four subfields, and conduct both localized and multi-sited research at locations around the globe—including East, South, and Southeast Asia; Europe; southern Africa; North America (especially the U.S. & Mexico); South America; and the Pacific (especially Hawaii and New Zealand).

Research and creative production in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

As part of a top-tier, AAU-accredited public research university, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences holds scholarly, scientific, and artistic discovery at the heart of our mission.

Throughout our departments and programs, our professors are at the forefront of their disciplines. They bring their world-class research and artistry into their classrooms, studios, and labs, giving students the unparalleled opportunity to learn right from the source of the latest innovations in knowledge and practice.

Graduate students and many undergraduates work side-by-side with faculty members, conducting breakthrough research and creative production that advances humanity’s understanding of ourselves and the complex, ever-changing world in which we live.

The creation of knowledge and understanding is an exhilarating and never-ending mission—and is at the core of every University of Iowa liberal arts and sciences education.